Google Inc. [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsThe last month for Google has been big for tech and employment law nerds alike. And I just happen to check both boxes. On the tech side, Google released the latest versions of its flagship phone, the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.…
The Employer Handbook Blog
A reporter sought an interview with a Senate candidate, but said a little bit more — TMI — after she thought she had hung up the phone.
Image Credit: FreeStockPhotos.biz (http://res.freestockphotos.biz/originals/14/14328-illustration-of-a-telephone-or.png) Spoiler alert: She got fired. Many of us have been there. Someone walks into your office, calls you on the phone, emails or texts you, or whatever it is the Millenials do these days. That encounter rubs you the wrong way. And you respond instinctively, words…
What if the general release in your severance agreement isn’t as “general” as you think it is? What then?
Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/checkbook-coupon-fill-check-688352/) On Tuesday, I wrote about severance agreements. Specifically, I suggested that employers benefit from: (1) drafting easy-to-understand agreements; and (2) giving former employees a reasonable amount of time to read the agreement and decide whether to sign. Generally, if you check those boxes, you’ve got yourself…
It’s unanimous! Supreme Court rules that any public-sector employee 40 years or older may file an age-bias claim
Joe Ravi [CC BY-SA 3.0 ], from Wikimedia CommonsLest you think that eight Supreme Court Justices — Justice Kavanaugh did not participate — can never see eye-to-eye on how to resolve an employment law issue. Yesterday, the Court unanimously concluded in Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido (here) that while the…
Severance Agreements: Make them easy to understand and don’t pressure an employee to sign
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsWhen one of your former employees signs a severance agreement with a release of all claims, the last thing you want is for that employee to sign and then sue you. Do over? Earlier this year, a Pennsylvania federal court issued an…
At least two employees didn’t read my ‘blackface’ post, and you’ll never believe what some Idaho teachers wore for Halloween
Image Credit:: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/halloween-halloweenkuerbis-faces-2770084/) I know that wearing blackface on Halloween is a bad idea. You know it too. And, now, so does Megyn Kelly. But not everyone got the memo. From blackface to pink slip. Like a nurse in Kansas City, reports Lisa Gutierrez at the Kansas City Star…
It’s time to VOTE for the “Worst Employer of 2018.”
My friend Jon Hyman is an incredible employment law blogger over at Ohio Employer Law Blog. Over the course of the year, he has flagged some of the worst discrimination and harassment allegations against employers. Now, the list is long enough that he needs your help to vote it down to…
Five great ideas on how your business can revamp workplace culture to prevent harassment
Image Credit: Pixabay.com (https://pixabay.com/en/lightbulb-vector-light-icons-2824863/) Yesterday, while you were sneaking Fun Size Peanut M&Ms out of the Halloween pumpkin before the trick-or-treaters showed up — maybe that was just me — the EEOC held a public meeting on Steps to Transform Workplace Culture to Prevent Harassment. The consensus was that employers…
The procrastinator’s guide to figuring out New Jersey’s Paid Sick Leave law
By Vic [CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia CommonsFortunately, for those of you who continue to kick the can on complying with New Jersey’s Paid Sick Leave law, it’s only been in effect for two days now. I mean, how much paid sick leave could someone have actually accrued since…
If at first you don’t succeed, sue, sue, and sue again.
Par Idibri — Flickr – https://www.flickr.com/photos/idibri/16217772928, CC BY 2.0, Lien Today, I’m going to tell you the story of a man that has now sued the same employer four times. It’s a bit like the Buffalo Bills of employment litigation, except the plaintiff here hasn’t suffered a fourth defeat…yet. Fake…